Post-doc on Digital Twinning for Bioprocesses

VITO, one of Europe’s leading research centers with 1,300 employees, transforms scientific insights into groundbreaking technological innovations, AI-driven solutions, and policy advice. We do this with one clear goal: to help the world thrive for at least another 1,000 years.

As a science-to-technology partner, we support businesses, governments, and society in their transition toward sustainability. With our multidisciplinary approach and unique laboratory, scaling, and testing infrastructure, we develop practical technological innovations. We accelerate progress toward a regenerative economy within the planet's boundaries, prioritizing electrification and circularity. Additionally, we create smart climate solutions for resilient and secure ecosystems and promote a healthy living environment where people, industry, agriculture, and nature coexist in harmony.

Our employees work in multidisciplinary expert teams across more than 40 research domains. They leverage our unique laboratory and data infrastructure, as well as our extensive network of innovation partners. Through positive transition thinking and in-depth techno-economic analyses, we develop solutions that are not only effective on paper but also in the complex reality of everyday life.

To support and strengthen our growth, we are looking for a:

Post-doc on Digital Twinning for Bioprocesses

The Team

As part of the Materials & Chemistry business unit, the PROBIO team develops bioprocesses and biomass processing schemes targeting new synthesis routes and novel value chains for a greener and biobased industry.

The team has extensive and unique expertise and infrastructure in bioprocess intensification, including among others performance of continuous fermentations, of enzymatic and whole cell bioprocesses coupled with membrane separation technology and of (CO2) fermentations at elevated pressure. Building on our current model-based process optimization approach, we want to take process control to the next level by implementing advanced analytical tools to gain deeper insights in process dynamics and by developing and applying Digital Twins for real-time in-process control.

To strengthen our team of researchers and technicians (now about 12 people) we are looking for a new colleague to develop and implement Digital Twins for (separation-enhanced) bioconversion and gas fermentation processes. For this we opened a post-doc position for a 1-year contract, potentially extendable to 2 years.

This is our plan for you

• Together with our team of experts, you will build and validate mechanistic models, simulate process dynamics and implement advanced process control on a variety of bioprocesses, in stand-alone mode or in combination with separation technology.

• You will develop Digital Twins based on inputs from a broad variety of datasets.

• You will plan, execute and support bioconversion tests enabled by new analytical tools, to validate, optimize and improve the developed Digital Twins.

• You will report, present and publish the results.

We believe the right candidate for this job should have:

• A PhD in (bio)chemical process engineering

• A track record of applied knowledge on bioprocess modelling and control

• Experience in process instrumentation and data acquisition systems

• Experience with MATLAB, LabVIEW, Python

• Ideally experience in AI and Machine Learning

• Knowledge on industrial biotechnology processes for alternative feedstocks

• Creative mindset

• Enthusiasm about both experimental lab work and processing of data and reporting

• Team player skills

• A strong interest in cooperation across disciplines and sectors

• A good knowledge of English, both written and spoken

• Previous experience in operating (bio)chemical reactors is a plus

What we offer

• A team of great colleagues, experts in their field, who will guide, support and interact with you

• A front-row seat to witness the development of technical solutions for a sustainable world

• Access to state-of-art equipment for bioprocess intensification and online monitoring and control

• Interesting opportunities to interact with partners in industry and academia

• A competitive salary package